Skeeter Davis

Skeeter Davis

• Given Name: Mary Frances Penick
  
• Date of Birth: December 30, 1931
  
• Place of Birth: Dry Ridge, Kentucky
  
• Married: 1. Ralph Emery (m. 1960) (div. 1963), 2. Joey Stampinato
  
• Children: Steve
• Date of Death: September 19, 2004

Skeeter Davis, known for her warm, friendly personality, had a successful career in Pop-Country music. As a small child, she was given the name "Skeeter" by her grandmother because she was always buzzing from place to place like a mosquito.

Skeeter and her close friend, Betty Jack Davis, began singing together in high school. The girls, both committed Christians, formed the Davis Sisters in 1949, and performed in small clubs in Lexington, Kentucky and soon had their own series on WLEX Lexington.

In 1952, Steve Sholes of RCA Victor signed the Davis Sisters to a contract and they cut the single I Forgot More (Than You'll Ever Know) the next year. It was an immediate hit, staying at No. 1 for eight weeks.

In 1953, on the way home from a performance on WWVA Wheeling, their car was struck head-on by another vehicle. Betty was killed and Skeeter seriously injured. Her recovery was slow and complicated and her friends encouraged her to perform again. Skeeter and Betty Jack's sister Georgia teamed up briefly, but the association did not last.

Deciding to try a solo career, Skeeter moved to Nashville, where she was taken under the wing of Chet Atkins. To get experience, she toured with RCA's Caravan of Stars, which included Eddy Arnold and Elvis Presley. She also began recording and in 1958 had a single in the Top 20 and was named "Most Promising Female Country Vocalist," in a Cash Box survey in 1959 and 1960. She became a member of Ernest Tubb’s touring show and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The chart hits continued to flow and during this time Skeeter appeared on many TV shows and did two TV Specials for Oral Roberts. During the 1960's and 1970's, she toured extensively in the U.S. and other countries, performing at rodeos, fairs, theaters, clubs, and radio and TV shows. She continued to perform on the Grand Ole Opry and sing in prisons and senior citizens' homes until shortly before her death on September 19, 2004, after a long battle against breast cancer.

Recordings include:

• My Last Date (With You)
  
• I Can't Stay Mad At You
  
• The End of the World
• Best of Skeeter Davis (album)